Rise And Decline Of The Roman Empire (Revised, 1980)

foreign in Rome a giant Sports Arena built almost 2 000 years ago the Roman society that created this imposing structure has left many others from an Amphitheater in the Middle East to an Emperor's Palace in Yugoslavia from an aqueduct in France [Music] to a public bat in England impressive Roman structures are scattered across three continents they are evidence of the greatest Empire in the ancient world [Music] and it typed the Empire included about 75 million people living on these lands around the Mediterranean capital of the empire was Rome and the history of the Empire begins in that City all right Legend has it that Rome was founded on the Tiber River in 753 BC by Romulus one of twin brothers the archaeological evidence indicates that tribes from Central Europe may have crossed the Alps about three thousand years ago and settled in Italy a people called the Latins established themselves in the area where the city of Rome later developed hard-working Farmers built a Latin Economy based on agriculture the Latins were conquered by a people called the Etruscans who took this part of Italy the settlement on the Taber River was taken by Etruscan Kings who ruled the Latin people and organized the city-state of Rome most of the Roman people were farmers who belonged to the plebeian class persons of high rank the Nobles belonged to the Patrician class in 509 BC the Romans overthrew their Etruscan king and the patricians set up the Roman Republic the main legislative body was the Senate two councils were the Chief Executive offices all elected from the Patrician class written laws along with two tribunes safeguarded the rights of the plebeian class in this Society the basic social unit was the Roman family headed by the father [Music] highly prized title of Roman citizen granted the man the right to vote and to hold office in Rome Roman citizenship later spread through the Mediterranean world aristities a professor in Asia Minor describes it your magnificent citizenship with its Grand conception there is nothing like it in the records of all mankind equally important was Roman law a remarkable code of justice that Roman magistrates administered [Music] Roman ideas of citizenship law and government were spread as the Roman Republic expanded behind this expansion was a powerful Roman army a Roman writer describing the military system says he who desires peace should prepare for war good training and capable leaders built a superb military organization [Music] the standards of Rome were carried farther and farther by the armies of the Republic [Music] by conquest and annexation these lands around the Mediterranean were taken by 133 BC Romans pushed Westward into Spain and across the Mediterranean into the hotlands of North Africa they marched Eastward into historic Greece drawn into the ancient countries of the Middle East and finally across the Alps into Teutonic lands Roman achievements Eric stole by the poet Virgil you man of Rome remember that you shall be to rule Nations to make peace and Crown it with law despair the humbled and to crush the crowd the Romans brought their lifestyle into the conquered cities the wealthy built beautiful Villas in the countryside the Statesmen and philosopher Seneca writes wherever the Roman conquers there he dwells and wherever they lived Romans enriched their lives with the cultures they absorbed from conquered peoples a Roman leader speaks of this Heritage our ancestors gentlemen were good at imitating whatever was worthwhile in the culture of other nations in fact they eagerly imitated any promising idea whether it came from friend or enemy Roman intellectuals were fascinated by other cultures education for the elite included the study of the Greek language science philosophy and Fine Arts [Music] but the qualities of the Roman character that Roman thinkers admired most soberness and dignity integrity and moral strength [Music] is we're giving way in the second century BC to Luxurious living and greed wealthy nobles were buying up large tracts of conquered lands and using captured people as slaves to farm their big Estates [Music] small farmers with only four or five acres couldn't compete with the big landowners they gave up the struggle and drifted into Rome in search of jobs [Music] but there would be no work in the city the unemployed joined others who were depending on the government for their food by 100 BC Society was becoming divided between rich and poor reformers tried to reorganize the government but failed civil war broke out in 88 BC and again in 49 BC this time lasting almost 20 years foreign [Music] Julius Caesar emerged as Rome's dictator in 49 BC a Roman poet describes him he possessed not merely a reputation as a soldier but was fierce and untameable in pursuit of his expectations when Caesar was elected dictator perpetules dictator for Life the orator Cicero said we have lost the reality of a republic fearing that he would make himself King a group of senators assassinated Caesar in 44 BC [Music] Caesar's Heir was his Grand nephew Octavian under his absolute rule the Roman Republic became the Roman Empire in 27 BC the Senate gave him the title of Augustus meaning The Majestic Augustus said his purpose was to be the author of the best possible government as the first Roman Emperor he ruled a Roman world that reached from Rome and embraced most of Europe as well as lands in Asia and North Africa foreign Augustus also rebuilt much of the city of Rome he found Rome brick and left it marble so said to Roman historian now the Empire entered a period of 200 years of the parks Romana the Roman peace the Roman writer of the second century talks of it The age-old Curse Of War has been put aside the whole world keeps holiday during the two centuries of the pox Romana about 75 million people could travel and trade in complete safety on a system of Roman roads that tied the vast empire together Roman Rose the most remote military outposts a Greek historian describes the borders the frontiers of the Roman Empire were everywhere studded with cities and Forts and Towers and the whole Army was stationed along them so it was impossible for The Barbarians to break through protected by the military fortifications civilian Romans were living well Roman women were never confined to the house as were the women of ancient Greece they went about in public and were treated as equal Partners in marriage in the public baths Roman men like to discuss politics business and problems of everyday life their thinking was influenced not only by the intellectuals and philosophers of ancient Greece but also by religious ideas from Egypt such as the ancient Cult of Isis and Osiris and from the Roman province of Palestine came a new influence Christianity the Roman historian tacitus wrote this name Christians comes from Christus whom Pontius Pilate condemned to death but the Abominable Superstition which had been suppressed for a while became widespread once more in the First Century A.D the infamous emperor Nero began the persecution of the Christians later in the Coliseum Romans watched Christians being put to death for their refusal to recognize their Emperor as divine [Music] but Christian missionaries gained more comforts the new religion became a growing problem for the Roman state Pliny the Younger a Roman official writes to the emperor trajan to report on how he deals with the problem this religious mania has spread through the villages and the countryside as well this is how I have dealt with people who were brought to me for being Christians I ask if they are Christians if they admit it I warn them what the punishment is they persist I order them executed trajan one of the strongest of the Roman emperors replies to Pliny certainly the Christians must not be hunted down but if they are found guilty then they must be punished with this exception if anyone denies he is a Christian and makes this clear by praying to Roman gods he must be pardoned [Music] but other changes too were occurring in Roman religion in the Roman army the old Imperial way of life was being changed by influences from the East the worship of the Persian Sun God mithras was spreading [Music] and yet vigorous Emperors like hedra worked hard to preserve the empire the Grandeur that was Rome can still be seen in the imposing Mausoleum he built for himself in Rome Hadrian made it his policy to improve the Army and to maintain the Imperial Frontiers as his successor Hadrian named antoninus Pius one of the best loved of Roman rulers difficulties increased for the next Emperor Marcus Aurelius much of his Reign was spent in repressing attacks on the borders of the Empire between battles he set down many of his ideas in a philosophic work called meditations he wrote A man should be upright and not be kept upright he had also written the universe is change and changes came fast after Marcus auridius by the third Century A.D the Army was no longer loyal to Rome but only to its own Commanders Emperors won the throne by buying the allegiance of the army words of the second century historian tacitus anticipate these times the Romans are the only men on Earth Who attack poor and Rich with the same enthusiasm robbery murder are all disguised under the name Empire the disastrous events of the third Century marked the beginning of the decline a terrible epidemic laughs a declining supply of wheat and invasions by barbarians a Roman historian describes the breakdown our history now plunges from a kingdom of gold to one of iron and rust near the end of this tragic Century Diocletian became emperor of him eutropius the Roman historian says Diocletian with a shrewd character gifted with a penetrating intelligence Diocletian tried to stop the decline by reorganizing the government he divided the empire into two parts West and East in Byzantium he ruled the east he appointed a co-emperer to rule the West one result was a great increase in government officials a huge top-heavy bureaucracy was created a heavier burden of taxes was levied by Imperial decree Diocletian tried to stabilize the economy a kind of totalitarian state was developing Tradesmen were bound to their jobs tenant farmers were bound to the land wages and prices were controlled the prices of 800 different items were set from the cost of a chicken to the price of a piece of cloth but all his regulations could not stop the soaring inflation that helped destroy the Roman economy Constantine another of the strong Emperors tried to stop the decline he had won the throne in a crucial battle that his biographer eusebius describes when the day was already declining the emperor had seen with his own eyes so he said the Victorious emblem of the Cross formed out of light and near at the words through this you will conquer believing he had won through the help of Christ the Victorious Constantine ended the persecution of the Christians in 330 A.D aware that Rome itself was still predominantly Pagan Constantine moved the capital of the Empire from Rome to Byzantium and renamed the city after himself Constantinople Constantinople became the Christian Rome the Rome of the East a century later after repeated Teutonic invasions the Western Empire at last fell the date was 476. but Rome's gifts engineering architecture government law these things did not die in Constantinople which became the capital of the Byzantine Empire Roman Traditions continued the Imperial Court of the emperor Justinian was evidence of Roman power in the east [Music] Justinian codified the entire system of Roman law it included concepts of justice and individual rights we recognized today no one is compelled to defend a cause against his will no one may be forcibly removed from his own house no one suffers a penalty for what he thinks in inflicting penalties the age and inexperience of the guilty party must be taken into account almost two centuries after Justinian the Germanic King Charlemagne reunited most of Western Europe and dreamed of restoring the Roman Empire in the West in the year 800 he went to Rome where the pope crowned him Charles Augustus greats and peaceful Roman Emperor successors of Charlemagne created the Holy Roman Empire in the west which lasted until the 18th century in the East Constantinople remained the capital of the empire for a thousand years its fortifications held off attacks by the ottoman Turks but finally a Turkish Army stormed the walls of the city Constantinople was captured in 1453 [Music] it was the end of the story that had begun 2 000 years before in the city of Rome perhaps these lines by a Roman Port sum it up oh Rome bright star of stars in Heaven above you made a city out of all the world thank you